Snow
by Azul Ocean
Summary: Hinata is training in the forest with her father on Christmas Eve. Typical Hyuuga Arrogance from Hiashi leaves Hinata alone in the snow. Hypothermia sets in...
1. Cold Training

"No, no, no!" Hiashi Hyuuga cried in frustration as his daughter, Hinata, messed up the same form for the third time in a row. The snow swirled around him as he gestured his hand. "The form flows with a sidestep, duck, and _then _a strike!" Hiashi said, and demonstrated his instructions, ending the form by striking and destroying one of several snowmen set up around the snow-blanketed training field.

"G-gomen, Father…" Hinata stammered, her stutter brought on both by the cold and her father's severe admonishments. "Don't apologize, try it again!" Hiashi barked, stepping back to observe his daughter's latest attempt at the form.

Hinata settled herself into the standard Hyuuga fighting stance, right leg planted in front of her, right arm extended, and left leg and arm drawn back to her body. She focused for a brief moment, and then burst into motion. She charged at a snowman, sidestepped to the left to avoid an imagined attack from the snowman, ducked to avoid a second strike from the same foe, and then struck.

At least, that's what Hinata tried to do. Before her last strike could land, her left foot lost its grip on the slippery snow, sending the dark-haired girl skidding unceremoniously into the thickly layered snow. Hinata gasped at the suddenly cold and wet state of her clothes. She wondered why she hadn't donned heavier clothes for training, especially since it was winter. Christmas Eve, in fact.

"Good Lord…" Hinata faintly heard her father mutter. She raised her head from the snowdrift, the crystallized water burning her cheeks red. "I-I b-beg your p-pardon, Father?" she said, focusing her pearlescent eyes on the imposing figure addressing her.

"What have you been doing for the past four years since your graduation?" Hiashi exploded. "That's a Jyuuken move that a young child should easily perform! Why do you mess that up so easily?'" Hinata cast her eyes back down to the snow as she drew herself back to a standing position. "I-I just sl-slipped on the snow, F-father…" Hinata said weakly, her voice cracking from the cold.

"That's no excuse, Hinata!" Hiashi shot back angrily. "That form teaches agility and fluidity, while you demonstrate a notable lack of both!" Hinata's eyes widened in surprise and shock. "Furthermore," Hiashi continued, "Your movements are slow and predictable. Is it any surprise that Neji beat you in your match in the Chuunin Exams?"

"Please g-give me another ch-chance at th-the move, Father!" Hinata pleaded, small tears gathering in her eyes. It _was_ Christmas Eve, and she wanted her father to be happy with her, which he obviously wasn't now. Always it seemed like he was unappeasable. Hinata always seemed to screw everything up, while her younger sister, Hanabi, seemed to be the prodigy that Hiashi wanted Hinata to be but wasn't.

"I don't know how you managed to talk me into this..." Hiashi muttered to himself quietly, and then addressed Hinata. "Very well, Daughter. But, don't return to the Compound until you have mastered the form." Hinata's father turned his back on Hinata and began to walk away. "You will demonstrate your capability in the morning." He tossed over his shoulder at his shivering daughter, who was still rooted to the spot.

Hinata stood in the one spot for several minutes, staring in the direction her father had gone. She was shocked. She knew that young Hyuuga were expected to be fluent in that Jyuuken form, but the Jyuuken was her weakest form of fighting. Hiashi expected too much of her, many thought, since she was simply wasn't physically built for it. Instead, she did better at more fluent forms, rather than the quick, precise blows that the Jyuuken delivered. Hinata thought differently. She was a Hyuuga, so she should be adept at the Jyuuken, physically able or not. If she couldn't master the Hyuuga's signature fighting style, then how could she expect to lead the Clan?

***Line Break***

Several hours later Hinata collapsed into the snow, completely exhausted. The Jyuuken form remained tantalizingly beyond her grasp, so she stayed in the training field. She hadn't ceased training once to rest, so she was totally drained.

Hinata's awareness had flagged even before she hit the softly-blanketed earth. She was deathly cold, as her customary purple sweatpants and sweater offered little chill protection outside of nippy weather. Hinata really hadn't expected to be out in the elements longer than a couple hours, so she hadn't dressed to full weather expectancy.

This time, when Hinata fell into the snow, it wasn't because of an error. It was because she now couldn't even feel her limbs. The freezing snow, which had earlier burned any exposed skin, now just barely stung. Even that seemed to be fading.

Hinata, whose brain was somewhat fried at this point from the extreme cold, began to intensely debate with her survival instinct, which was telling her to shake it off, get up, and go somewhere warm.

Why not? The snow's embrace was cold and soothing after her strenuous and prolonged training session. It seemed to whisper into her mind, _stay here. why return to the world that rejects you as a failure? you can sleep here in my embrace forever…. _

Hinata ignored her subconscious' demands to find heat, and tried to draw herself back to a standing position. She still hadn't perfected the fighting technique, and her father had said for her to stay out until she had mastered it… hadn't he? She couldn't remember well. The cold was causing her thought processes slow seriously, making it hard for her to think coherently. She also didn't want to heed the icy snow's call yet. One more attempt…

Hinata's motor functions finally gave out as she collapsed onto the snow-laden ground. It was so hard to keep her eyes open, let alone conjure up comprehensive thought. She couldn't even remain upright now. The cold, slowly but oh-so-surely, had taken its toll.

Hinata finally surrendered to the seductive call of the cold, and shut her frost-laden eyes.


	2. A Walk In The Snow

**Hi, I'm back. I know you all missed me. Right? ….. ' chiiirp…. Chiiiiirp…' Oh, well. To those watching this, your patience has been rewarded. To those who haven't… how are you reading this? Anyway, forward!**

It was _cold._

Shivering, freezing, _muy frio_, it didn't matter what one called it, Naruto knew he was _freezing_. Large snowflakes, lots of them, fell from the sky, covering all those below. That's why he was decked out in full snow gear as he trudged through the training ground's woods. There was a little orange on his attire. Appearances had to be kept up, of course.

All his Christmas shopping was done, so he had sent a Shadow Clone back to his apartment with his purchased gifts. The original, in the meantime, took a walk in the forest surrounding Konoha.

Contrary to popular belief, Naruto did like to take a constitutional walk to clear his head every now and then. And he really needed one now, on Christmas Eve.

He didn't have very many pressing concerns at the moment, other than the looming threat of the Akatsuki, the village's near-perpetual hatred of him, or Sasuke and how to facilitate his return. In the grand scale of these issues, Naruto's current concern was much more mundane.

Naruto's mulling was over girls. Not his inability to get one, as Sakura could have teased. Heck, ever since he had returned from his training trip with Jiraiya as an older and more mature boy, the ladies had been vying for his attention, practically tooth and nail, it seemed to Naruto.

Naruto shook his head and ran a hand through his sun-kissed locks, dislodging snow that had been gathering there.

If someone were to hear that Naruto was having a 'girl problem' , they automatically assumed one of three things: Sakura had turned him down again, his fangirls were stalking him again, or he was a conflicted transsexual.

They would be wrong on all counts. Naruto had dealt with his feelings for Sakura long ago. Their relationship was more like one between siblings, rather than a romantic one, as Naruto had originally pursued. They now shared a close and comfortable friendship now. The fangirls were less a problem and more a nuisance, one that Naruto was effectively dealing with. It was simple. Run like hell! Like all nine of the Tailed Beasts were after you! It always worked for Naruto. He often wondered why Sasuke hadn't tried it. And Naruto always wondered why people cast him as a girl in their opinions. Maybe it was because of his formerly close friendship with Sasuke?

His 'girl problem' was with a certain dark-haired, pale-eyed girl. Or young woman. Neither he nor Hinata were children anymore.

Yes, Hinata. Naruto wasn't nearly as dense as everyone made him out to be. He had been aware of the Hyuuga heiress's affections throughout their time at the Academy and beyond, but was unsure as to how to deal with her. At that point he had been hung up on Sakura, believing himself to be irrevocably in love with her. He didn't know how to confront a crush from another, so he had simply pretended not to know. And fooled everyone.

A small smile curved his lips upward. Hinata had always been pretty in his eyes, but Sakura was gorgeous. Like the sun outshining the more humble constellations, Hinata had always been eclipsed by the other girls. But unlike the others, she had apparently been content to remain unnoticed in the background.

Now that his feelings for Sakura had faded, Naruto had begun to think. Dangerous, in some unmentioned ninjas' eyes. He had thought about Hinata, beyond the label of 'the girl who had a crush on him.' He pondered exactly what her significance to him was now.

She had changed, Naruto thought, stepping onto the path that led to the training field. She had blossomed. Hinata had overcome her trademark shyness for the most part, and had…. Well, even a non-pervert like Naruto had to acknowledge that her 'squeeze me, I'm adorable' appearance had transformed into a gentle beauty. Much like a butterfly from a cocoon.

Naruto now regretted not seeing her as she truly was from the start, and not because of her beauty. She had been the only one to care about him all along, and even though he never spurned her, Naruto had casually dismissed her far too many times.

Naruto ceased forward motion and leaned back against the cold trunk of a tree. So, what now? He couldn't say that he felt exactly the same way back, at least not yet. He did feel a stirring in his chest when he thought of her, a gentle tenderness, as opposed to the passionate longing he had felt for Sakura. The time he spent with Hinata wasn't tense, uncomfortable or even physically dangerous, as being around Sakura was. Say the wrong thing around her, and she would pound you into the street. No, being with Hinata was soothing, almost like a cool spring on a hot summer day.

Naruto pushed himself off the trunk and continued towards the training field as the snow continued to fall. He had come to a decision. He would talk to and hang out with Hinata, or maybe ask her out somewhere down the road if fate obliged. She deserved for him to at least give her a chance. He was sure he wouldn't regret it.

Naruto arrived at the field. It was still dominated by the miniature self-contained waterfall that Yamato had created. It was also completely covered with snow, piled up in spots, which had been falling for several hours.

The field was also dotted with… Snowmen?

Naruto realized that the piles of snow were destroyed snowmen, in addition to those still standing. They were placed in a wide circle with a large heap at its off-center.

Naruto felt a shiver go up his spine that had nothing to do with the cold. He had a bad feeling about this….

He abandoned his previously sedate pace and dashed over to the pile of snow. Whatever it was, it had been there a while, but it was hard to estimate exactly how long, as it was covered with snow from the constant snowfall all day.

He skidded to a halt and knelt next to the mound. He reached out a gloved-covered hand to brush off the snow covering the object. It shifted at his touch, some of the snow fragmenting and slipping off.

Naruto drew in a frigid breath. A patch of lavender-colored fabric was revealed, obviously part of a light jacket. "Oh, _shit!"_ he hissed.

Naruto wrapped his arms around the object and drew it to him. The remaining snow sloughed off.

"Dear god…" Naruto cried. The object buried in the snow was Hinata.

Her skin had always been fair, but being covered in snow had rendered her deathly pale. She was soaked from the melted snow, and bitterly cold.

But this ice princess breathed still. Her body heat was virtually nonexistent, but air still doggedly gasped in and out of her lungs.

Naruto quickly reviewed his knowledge of hypothermia and frostbite treatment. Lukewarm water, warm and dry blankets, and shared body heat were all necessary.

He shifted Hinata's achingly still form to rest on his thighs and formed the hand seal for his signature jutsu, the Shadow Clone Jutsu.

A second Naruto appeared in the field, accompanied by a puff of smoke. "Go to my apartment and run a bath!" Naruto told his Clone. "Lukewarm, not hot. Also, get some warm blankets ready!"

The clone normally would complain, but it could see that Naruto wouldn't tolerate a Clone's usual backtalk. His doppelganger simply nodded and performed a Body Flicker, vanishing in a swirl of leaves.

Naruto stood, holding Hinata in a tight bridal carry. His heart clenched at the sight of her now. Her face, normally so bright and full of life and happiness, could now have been etched from ice.


	3. Warm Tender Care

**Hey guys, it's me. Been a while, eh? I'm back. I saw a lot of reviews begging for an update, so here it is. It's shorter than most fanfictions, but I hope y'all like it!**

The snow dragged at Naruto's boots, slowing his progress through the snow. He gasped with effort, fighting to maintain his hold on his precious load.

The snow still fell, dotting the trees around the blond shinobi. Twilight was upon Konoha, and night approached rapidly. The temperature dropped accordingly, hardening the snow into an icy concrete.

Naruto's breath steamed out into the air, becoming visible on contact with the colder environment. He was shivering as his body tried to maintain his falling body temperature. His face was flushed from the biting wind and snowflakes.

However, Naruto was more concerned about the unconscious kunoichi he carried in his arms. Her face was taking on a bluer hue. She had stopped shivering shortly after Naruto had sent his clone home, which Naruto knew from training, was a very bad thing.

Naruto took a second every few minutes to check Hinata. He wasn't expecting a speedy recovery as soon as she had been uncovered, but it still worried him that she hadn't responded at all. Her pale skin was still as cold as the unforgiving snow.

He increased his pace.

Naruto finally reached his home street. The light snowfall had grown heavier, now manifesting as a blizzard. It was very rare, especially for the temperate zone that Konoha lay in. Naruto's not-so-secret admirer had chosen a bad evening to be training in the snow.

He really hated the looks of this. The last time it had snowed anywhere near this bad everything had been closed for days, the streets clogged with heaps of snow. He didn't want to make the trek across town in this weather. With Hinata, he was concerned with her getting frostbite, if she hadn't already.

Naruto battled through the drifts to his apartment's stairway. It was already mostly blocked by the accumulating drifts. Naruto had to shift Hinata to one arm to use a minor wind jutsu to clear the passage. Then, shouldering Hinata, he climbed up to his apartment.

His clone met him at the door, wearing a concerned look on his face. "How is she, boss?" he asked, glancing at Hinata.

Naruto looked down at the hypothermic girl cradled in his arms. "She doesn't look so good," he replied, and began to walk to the bathroom, the clone dutifully following. "How's that bath?" Naruto asked.

The clone reached the door and opened it for Naruto in a rare act of courtesy. "Lukewarm as ordered, boss," it replied as it followed Naruto into the cramped bathroom. "You still need me?"

Naruto nodded, setting Hinata down on the lip of the bathtub. "Yeah, just wait outside," he said. "It's gonna be tight in here, but be ready to get some stuff."

Hinata was beginning to stir in response to the house's relative warmth. She began to mutter something indistinct, her head lolling around.

"Hinata, can you hear me?" Naruto said softly. She slowly cocked her head to one side, her eyes half-open.

"N-n…" she faintly said, unable to muster the energy for more than a single syllable. She moved her arms to wrap around her torso. She began shivering slightly, which Naruto took as a good sign.

"Okay, Hinata," he began, mentally flinching at what he had to do. "I'm going to need to get…" he trailed off, and then took a breath. Now, if ever, was the time for uncharacteristic professionalism. "I'm gonna need to get you out of your clothes-" Naruto winced and mentally facepalmed. That sounded perverted, but the sluggish Hyuuga didn't seem to notice or react.

"Okay…" Another breath. "You're going to need a warm bath, okay Hinata? Hinata?" Naruto grabbed her around the waist as she closed her eyes and leaned back, almost toppling into the water.

"Okay…" Naruto said. "Looks like I have to do this alone…"

Naruto disrobed Hinata as quickly as possible, discarding the soggy clothes on the tiled floor. Hinata was left in only her undergarments, shivering from the air on her exposed skin. She leaned unconsciously into Naruto, almost snuggling up into him.

Naruto disentangled himself from her and carefully lowered her into the lukewarm water. Her eyes opened slightly, a moan of discomfort escaping her pale lips.

Naruto gently laid her head on the rear lip of the tub, making sure it was out of the water. He then unzipped his jacket and laid it on the floor. Her then leaned over Hinata and took a hold of her feet, beginning to massage them gently to restore blood flow.

As he did so, Naruto was unable to stop himself from looking over Hinata's body. He had never considered himself to be a luster, far from it! He often went out of his way to avoid being called a pervert. But he couldn't help but admire her.

She was well shaped, no hint of fat anywhere on her body. Her abdomen was hard with muscle, and her limbs also showed signs that she was a hard trainer. Not that he didn't know that already.

He didn't linger on her upper torso, to say the least.

Hinata had a face unlike anything Naruto had seen. She almost looked sad. Not like she was about to cry, but the way her face was shaped. It would make anyone, no matter how cold-blooded they were, want to stop and ask her how she was. But she had a certain serene beauty to her, almost otherworldly. He couldn't pin it down. It made her seem like… a sort of kindred spirit, the kind that you could tell anything to without judgment.

Naruto moved on to her hands. She was beginning to regain much of her color, a very good sign. It was returning equally, with no signs of tissue damage. Her skin ran red, flushing with her returning blood supply. Naruto smiled. That was a good sign.

He returned his attention to her hands. She had the hands of a ninja, no mistake, but they were softer than one would expect. They had calluses and scars, but they weren't hardened like Naruto's.

Hinata began to stir, twisting slightly in the cooling water. Naruto quickly released her hands and moved to her head level. "Hinata?" he murmured softly.

She lifted her head, her eyelids fluttering open.

He had never actually studied her eyes before. He had seen them, but never actually examined them. They weren't the usual Hyuuga's cold grey, but were instead a warm shade of soft lavender. They seemed to exude friendliness and warmth, tempered with humility. They also presently had a hint of confusion, most likely at her current location.

A song lyric came to the front of his mind: _the angel opens her eyes._

-Perspective Change-

Hinata's eyes focused slowly, taking in her new location with a large amount of confusion. The last thing she remembered was collapsing in a snowdrift…

She was lying in something warm and wet, sloshing around her. It was very comfortable, especially after the snow… She hadn't expected to wake up at all. Hypothermia was generally fatal. She had been aware of it then, but was too tired to do anything.

The water really felt good against her cool skin.

There didn't seem to be anything between her and the water though…

She forced open her eyes the rest of the way. She was indeed in a bathtub, and minus most of her clothes. She was only clad in her somewhat modest underwear, a sort of bikini. And looking at her with a concerned look in his eyes was none other than…

Naruto Uzumaki. Her longtime crush and love. He was here… and seeing her… like this…

With a weak squeak Hinata re-entered the domain of the unconscious. Naruto let out a shout and lunged to prevent her head from slipping under the water.

**So, that's it. You like? If so, please leave a review. I like constructive criticism, so please tell me how to improve!**

**Now, I do need help. My initial idea fell through after the first chapter, and I need suggestions. If you have any ideas as to how to take it from here, I'm open to them. I may figure it out myself, but input is always welcome. May the odds be ever in your favor, live long and prosper, and Sé onr sverdar sitja hvass!**


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